Fashion Revolution Week in Malaysia Ends On An Inspiring Note
When I started blogging about ethical fashion, I had absolutely no idea where it would take me. I certainly didn't expect to continue blogging beyond a year, yet here I am. It has been a somewhat lonely journey for me with few friends able to identify with my passion for ethical fashion.
Hence, I was pleasantly surprise to meet with not one or two, but a roomful of people passionate about ethical fashion and sustainability last Saturday at MaGIC headquarters in Cyberjaya. (MaGIC is short for the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre, a government agency that helps groom local startups.)
The event held in Cyberjaya on Saturday was in conjunction with the recently-concluded Fashion Revolution Week (April 23rd-29th), which is held worldwide each year to spread awareness about ethical and sustainable fashion.
The event kicked off with the screening of River Blue, an award-winning documentary about how the fashion industry contributes to the severe pollution of some of the world's major rivers. The film was raw, real and very sobering, there were moments during the film where I struggled to hold back tears at the suffering of people and their environment due to water pollution.
The room was in total silence post-screening; the film's sobering effect was palpable throughout the room as I'm sure we all felt deep empathy for the people affected by river pollution. (If you are keen to watch the film, you can purchase it here.)
Thankfully, the depressing mood in the room was quickly lifted with the introduction of a panel discussion on the journey of fashion social entrepreneurs in Malaysia. I was kindly invited by Fashion Revolution Malaysia to moderate the panel discussion, where three fashion social entrepreneurs (pix below) discussed the state of the ethical fashion industry in Malaysia, as well as the challenges and triumphs they have faced while running ethical fashion businesses. The panelists were (second from left) Maryam Shamsuddin of Cotton & Sago, Natasha Navin of Khooshboo and Sasibai Kimis of Earth Heir.
The day's event concluded with the pitching session of teams and individuals who attended the Fibers Bootcamp for aspiring ethical fashion entrepreneurs. I felt honoured to be selected as a co-judge alongside Mr. Yusuf from MaGIC and Dr. Renard Siew from Sime Darby.
A total of seven teams pitched their business ideas the judges and roomful of friends and supporters. It was a tough decision as all the ideas were good, but we finally chose two winners: Satirical Satin and Hawa. Satirical Satin is a social project out of Brunei aspiring to be a social enterprise that trains underprivileged youths to be part of the fashion industry, while using excess fabrics and other methods to reduce fashion waste. Hawa, meanwhile, is an aspiring unisex ethical fashion label based out of Brunei.
After the event, my two friends and I stayed on to chat with other ethical fashion supporters and I can honestly say that I've never felt such a sense of belonging related to the ethical fashion cause. I feel very blessed to have been a part of the event and would like to thank Fashionably Kind readers for supporting what I do, and in fact urge all of you to support local ethical fashion brands and labels supporting local artisans.
A big thank you also to Fibers Collective and Fashion Revolution Malaysia for a successful event and inviting me to be a part of it. I have finally found my ethical fashion tribe, thanks to them.